


It Has to Land Eventually

by Shinaka



Category: Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA, イース | Ys
Genre: But also on the light side, But on the light side, First Kiss, Jealousy, M/M, Possessive Behavior, Requited Unrequited Love, oblivious to love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27394894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinaka/pseuds/Shinaka
Summary: It starts at first with a friendly arm slung around Adol’s shoulders whenever he talks to Elena.In which Adol deals with – or doesn’t deal with – Dogi’s slightly possessive touching until he gets called out and has some Realizations.
Relationships: Adol Christin/Dogi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	It Has to Land Eventually

**Author's Note:**

> I must confess, I still haven't gotten to play Oath in Felghana, but I just couldn't resist mentioning Elena.
> 
> Also, this was originally meant to be drabble-length, but uh. Clearly it is not. Laxia was more fun to write than I expected.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

It starts at first with a friendly arm slung around Adol’s shoulders whenever he talks to Elena.

Adol doesn’t notice anything amiss about this. He and Dogi are best friends after all, and Dogi has always been physically expressive. Adol can’t even remember going a day without having his hair ruffled, being crushed in a hug, or getting picked up and spun about at least once. So he doesn’t even turn to look at Dogi as the large man’s arm settles on him, a comfortable weight, and the conversation with Elena continues as if nothing strange has happened. It helps, too, that Dogi doesn’t bring any particular attention to himself, other than interjecting whenever Adol is stuck on a detail in their recent adventures.

But then it happens, over and over.

And it’s not just Dogi's arm placed across Adol’s shoulders. Sometimes Dogi comes up from behind to muss his red hair. Other times, Adol feels a large hand on the small of his back. Then, more recently, there is Dogi’s hand curling around his hip, warm and sure. 

Even when it becomes more and more obvious that the touching happens whenever Adol speaks to women – and even some men – Adol doesn’t know whether to broach the issue at all. As much as he would like to know what’s going on in Dogi’s mind, it’s not as if he's bothered by his friend’s behavior.

In fact, Adol finds it calming. No matter how many ships they board (and get ejected from), people they meet, dungeons they crawl through, or mysteries they get wrapped up in, Dogi will always be there in the end.

(And when Dogi hasn’t been there on the rare adventure, Adol finds himself touching his shoulder and wondering when he’ll see him again.)

To ask Dogi upfront would give Adol the answer he seeks, but there is also the all too real worry that he will draw uncomfortable scrutiny to the loose boundaries between their bodies. Better to consent through silence than lose much more than confusing yet welcome acts of intimacy. So Adol pushes down his natural curiosity and moves on.

* * *

But just because he is willing to look the other way doesn’t mean that others will.

It all begins with an acerbic question from Laxia.

“Dogi, is there a way I can possibly have a conversation with Adol without you always hovering over him?” She glares at Dogi, who has his hand on Adol’s hip today. Around Laxia, Adol notes, Dogi seems to touch him there most often, but – like with the others – the _why_ eludes him.

Dogi waves his free hand back and forth carelessly in response. “He and I go all the way back, Laxia. Besides, Adol’s going to explore the island with you pretty soon. What do you have to tell him that I can’t possibly be there for?”

It happens for only an instant, but he thinks he saw Dogi’s eyes narrow at the girl when he questions her.

Laxia turns red before pointing a finger directly at Dogi. “I do not appreciate s-s-such insinuations! But you do realize how _suspicious_ it is when your hands are always on him whenever I try to even speak to him?”

Then she pauses and seems to study the two before speaking again. “Unless you two are –"

Suddenly Adol’s hip is free. Immediately, he misses the warmth that had been there.

“He’s all yours!” Dogi says suddenly and cheerfully, but it’s the kind of cheer that Adol knows is brittle. Dogi's arms are up in the air, as if repelled by Adol, a sight that pains him acutely for some reason. Before Laxia can get a word in, Dogi walks hurriedly away. “Enjoy yourselves, but remember that you have a long day ahead of you out there!” are his parting words and then he turns away from them fully and hones in on the ship on the beach.

When Dogi is out of earshot, Laxia spins on her heel and faces Adol. “What was _that_?”

He can’t think of any way to respond other than to shrug, even if his hip is still smarting from its loss.

She heaves an impatient sigh. “If you two are a... _couple_ ,” she forces out, red overtaking her face once more, “Then I apologize for this awkwardness.”

Adol’s head snaps up. A denial begins but dies in his throat, yet Laxia’s eyes widen in understanding anyway.

“Wait, are you not one?” she sputters.

He stares at her and then asks why she would think he and Dogi are together in the first place. But even as Adol asks, his mind quickly accepts that yes, he honestly does not mind the mistaken assumption that they are romantically linked. He really should find it stranger, perhaps even be insulted that their friendship is being so misunderstood. But he is too busy replaying all of Dogi’s touches in his mind and marveling at all the new implications they have. 

“I can’t believe I am explaining this to _you_ of all people,” Laxia mutters before exclaiming aloud, “Aren’t you an adventurer? Haven’t you explored the world and talked to people all around?”

Before Adol can open his mouth, she raises a hand to stop him. “Let me finish. Have you really not noticed how Dogi always touches you whenever you’re with anybody that can be his romantic rival, so to speak? Such as Dina, Sister Nia, Miralda… _Euron_ , even! And uh, me.” Laxia pointedly looks away from Adol then. She’s also the reddest he has ever seen her, although he can’t exactly understand why.

So Adol begins to explain. He has noticed the touching, if not the exact circumstances it occurs in, to Laxia's visible relief. But even so, he hasn’t tried to talk to Dogi about it. Ultimately the touching doesn’t bother him, and Adol struggles to see the point in talking about something that might discomfit Dogi.

For several long moments, Laxia responds with only silence, though Adol can see her hand close into a fist that begins to shake.

“You adventurers are so... _dense_!” she spits out. “Sure, it’s convenient for you to not say anything, but what about Dogi? You’re basically leading him on, when it's clear he sees you as more than a friend!”

Adol's mouth opens and closes, wordless. 

But Laxia is relentless, each word pointed like her rapier. “Regardless of how you feel about him, Dogi deserves more than just silence when it comes to his feelings. If he’s your best friend, then he needs an answer sooner rather than later!” 

She takes a deep breath and then summons a withering glare that Adol almost cringes at.

“Seriously, you, my father – would it not _kill_ you to try communicating with your loved ones! I can’t _believe_ I have to explain all of this to you just now!” And under her breath, she mumbles something along the lines, “Can’t believe I’m actually interested in –“ before she catches herself and then stomps away.

“Talk to him! Or else!” she yells, not even turning back to face Adol.

Then he is left with just his thoughts.

* * *

Privacy is scarce and precious on the island, and Adol is rarely alone with Dogi for long before Laxia, Ricotta, Sahad, Euron, or another castaway inevitably joins them. After all, they are all intimately bound together in their quest to get off the Isle of Seiren, and because of that, they almost always have to work together during every waking moment to fulfill that objective. 

But tonight, the alignment of the twin moons – or more likely, Laxia having said something – has Adol finding himself alone on the beach with Dogi, no other castaway in sight.

They’re sitting on the shoreline, letting the cool water lap at their exposed feet. Compared to earlier, Dogi sounds like his usual self, earnest and excited about their next steps for escaping the island. However, even as he bubbles with plans for erecting raid barriers and the next part of the ship, he keeps his hands to himself. Adol waits, but even so, his hair remains smooth and no broad arm is forthcoming to squeeze the two of them together. They don’t even touch shoulders like they normally do, with Dogi seemingly trying to stay at least a foot away from him.

Adol can no longer keep quiet after all, just as Laxia had said. Now he'll need words to give shape to their nebulous relationship, before it becomes entirely untenable.

After Laxia had left, Adol had stood in place. He needed to think and while processing Laxia's words along with his own burgeoning feelings, he had come to three conclusions.

One, he needs Dogi to be with him. 

Even if Adol’s wanderlust is permanent, it does not mean that he wants to be alone. A journey is far sweeter when there is someone else to share in the fruit of discovery after all. And only Dogi has ever matched Adol in his thirst for new adventures and stumbling into ages-old mysteries to solve. Even if circumstances conspire to split them apart, and they have several times, Adol will always seek out Dogi in the end. A travelogue is one thing to pass down his experiences, but a partner is another.

Two, he wants Dogi to be happy.

Dogi has been his faithful companion ever since he broke Adol out of three different prison cells in Darm Tower (and tolerated Adol being invisible for two of those times). Countless times, Dogi has been near death merely for joining Adol on his travels and becoming entangled in conspiracies involving ancient civilizations, long forgotten clans, and the cruel Romun Empire. Even if he doesn’t want it to be true, it is undeniable that Laxia is right about Adol leading Dogi on, unintentional it may be. Dogi’s choice to get involved with him and his tendency to be in danger is not one many would ever make. So knowing where they stand with each other is the least Dogi deserves, and if Adol can help it, Dogi would get much more than that.

Which leads to...

Three, he _wants_ Dogi.

It should have been obvious, even before the Isle of Seiren, and even going all the way back to when Dogi had smiled at Elena but kept his arm coiled tightly around Adol, and Adol had thought it just something best friends did. Never mind they had traveled with tightly knit companions whose bodies nevertheless were never as connected as his and Dogi’s. Never mind that Adol had found himself idly longing for the ghost of fingers along his skin even outside of dreams. Never mind that when Adol had given a thought about the future, he is always wandering the world with Dogi in it.

But now, not only can he begin to right things between them, but Adol can also finally have what he has unknowingly wanted all this time.

And Adol wants Dogi to know all of this. 

First, he shifts until their shoulders are touching, earning a yelp of surprise from Dogi. Then Adol turns his head until he's staring into Dogi’s blue eyes, tinted orange because of the fire nearby, and begins to speak.

Unfortunately, thoughts do not translate into spoken words so neatly, and Adol keeps pausing at points to collect himself. But Dogi keeps patiently listening, and Adol keeps finding a way to continue.

And when he runs out of words, Adol has touch to rely on.

He reaches out and squeezes his shoulders just like Dogi would his, before his hands drift upwards to cup Dogi’s face. Throughout this, Dogi is quiet, even when his eyes darken and his mouth parts in surprise. Yet he still gives Adol space to express himself.

But when Adol leans in and gently kisses Dogi, ocean-chapped lips salty yet sweet, Dogi finally responds. 

Finally, he wounds his strong arms around Adol and holds him tight. Finally, he grips Adol’s hips, giving him back the pressure he has craved since this morning. And finally, he devours Adol, turns the light press of lips into something that burns Adol through and through, that empties yet fills him up, and he wants more, more, more – 

And they could have had this much earlier. If not for his own stupidity –

Then Dogi nips his bottom lip and Adol sheds the self-recriminations for now.

When Dogi lets go at last, he smirks at his friend. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long, long time.”

Adol smirks back.

So he lets Dogi know that from now on, kisses are more than welcome. That maybe they’ll do more than kisses in the near future (to which Dogi whispers a rough “Oh?” into Adol’s ear, almost unmooring him). And most importantly, that the two of them are and will most assuredly be partners, in every sense of the word. So, Adol says with a teasing smile, Dogi no longer needs to be jealous whenever he’s with Laxia or anyone else.

“I’ll still want to touch you though,” Dogi says, pouting.

At this, Adol laughs. Then he tells him how that’s fine, too – he has always liked Dogi’s touches.

“Good, good,” Dogi says. “Because that’s not changing.”

Adol kisses him again and breathes him in.

He won’t be silent anymore when it comes to Dogi.

“So touch me again,” Adol says.

Dogi complies.


End file.
